How To Make Common Treatments Less Scary
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I guess it’s inevitable that whatever bug is going around will eventually reach my household. Yup, my family is recovering from the flu. Fortunately for my 6-month old,? she had the flu shot,? and only came down with a cough and cold. Unfortunately for her Dad and me, we didn’t. The viral-bacterial gods decided to visit Mina with her second ear infection however, and my first case of pink eye.
With all that virus and bacterium flying around, we turned to modern medicine. Mina didn’t take kindly to the dropper for the administration of her antibiotics, and when I saw her eyes beginning to crust over, I pondered how in the world I was going to get a drop in her open eye. Well, I didn’t have to worry, cause the eye turned out fine (Not mine, just hers).
In the spirit of all that is healthy, here are some ways to make those medicines go down a bit smoother:
- Eye Drops. Don’t you and your spouse double-team your child, pry their eye open and force that drop in. It can be very traumatic, and chances are the medicine won’t even get close to the target until many wasted tries. Instead, tell your child you will create a “lake” in the corner of her eye. Have them lie down, close their eyes, and create a pool in the corner. When they open their lids, the drop will make it’s way to the “ocean” of the eye.
- Medicine syrup. Have them watch Mary Poppins and memorize the song “Just a Spoonful of sugar make the medicine go down”. Give them the medicine, and if it’s bitter tasting, follow it with a spoonful of sugar. Or Crystal Lite if you’d like. If the medicine tastes good, you probably don’t have anything to worry about. As for Mina, we know she loves mealtimes and gets so excited when she sees her bowl. We just put her medicine in a medicinal spoon, and whipped out her bowl. Voila, she thought it was mealtime and readily “ate” the antibiotics.
- Wellness shots or other shots. Again, a song or a mantra can save your child. Explain to them what the shots do, and then sing them their favorite song while its being administered. Or have them pretend to be a doctor, and then let them explain to their “patient” — a favorite toy usually — why they must get one. Some parents teach their children mantras to softly repeat i.e.: “This may feel a bit ouchy and sting like a bee, but it helps me become a healthy new me.“
In essence, use song, play empowering games of pretend, books or movies where characters are going through the same thing, to make the medicine go down. Good luck and stay healthy out there.
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